Why China’s middle class supports the Communist Party. By David S.G. Goodman. The Christian Science Monitor, October 22, 2013.Those
in the West commonly believe that economic growth and a burgeoning middle class
in China will lead to democratic reform. But research on China’s middle class
shows its lack of opposition to the Communist regime as well as some support
for the party-state.

The Republican Schism. By Erick Erickson. RedState, October 22, 2013.Erickson:There
is a data set within yesterday’s CNN poll that even CNN largely overlooked, but
that explains so much of the current tension within the Republican Party.

Long
after we are dead, pundits and political reporters will still talk about the
Rockefeller Republicans vs. the Conservatives and other such archaic divisions
that no longer exist except in the rhetorical habits of pretentious political
reporters. The real division within the Republican Party now isn’t even between
those who call themselves tea partiers fighting the establishment. “Tea party”,
like “conservative” and “Republican”, has less meaning these days and I
increasingly dislike using the word. Admittedly though, everyone would consider
me one based on the general parameters of what the tea party is.

In any
event, the real fight within the Republican Party now is between those who
believe we actually are at the moment of crisis — existential or otherwise —
and thereby must fight as we’ve never fought before and those who think the GOP
can bide its time and make things right.

At this
moment, this boils down to a fight largely between Main Street and the K
Street/Wall Street Alliance within the GOP. This gets us back to the CNN poll
and the data set even CNN really missed.

CNN
asked, “Do you think it is good for the country or bad for the country that the
Republican Party is in control of the U.S. House of Representatives?” 54% say
it is bad for the country. The polling is among all adults. With registered
voters the number is 52%. With likely voters it would probably be a 50-50
proposition. The follow up question was not whether the public would prefer the
Democrats to be in charge, but “If you had to choose, would you rather see John
Boehner remain as Speaker of the House, or would you rather see Boehner
replaced as Speaker by another Republican?” 63% of adult Americans would like
him replaced.

Go into
the subsets for far more interesting numbers.

One-third
of self-described conservatives think it is bad for the country that the GOP is
in charge of the House of Representatives compared to only 14% of people
self-identified as supporting the tea party. 55% of conservatives want John
Boehner replaced by another Republican. 60% of those who support the tea party
want Boehner replaced.

While
the margin of error goes up significantly in the subsets, this is a pretty
consistent finding and one that complicates a lot of reporting about voter
angst and anger toward the GOP. A lot of conservatives are angry at the GOP
too. They want a Republican Party willing to fight They are gravitating toward
candidates and third parties willing to fight and eschewing those who are too
establishmentarian.

Add in
another poll. Almost half of Americans want every member of Congress replaced.
“Among Republicans and Republican leaners, a 52% majority say Congress would be
better off if most of the current members were replaced,” USA Today reports.
Likewise, a recent Pew survey showed that roughly a third of Americans want
their own member of Congress replaced. Usually the polling shows people want
congressmen replaced, but they like their own congressmen. Now, at its highest
level in a very long time, people want their own congressman replaced too.

While
all the polling suggests a very real anti-establishmentarian mood in the
country and within the GOP, small donors are gravitating toward conservative
groups willing to fight. Heritage Action for American, Club for Growth,
FreedomWorks, Senate Conservatives Fund, Madison Project, etc. are all seeing
small donors and activists gravitating to them. As attacks on these groups
intensify from Republicans in Washington, their support from the grassroots
correspondingly intensifies.

This is
shaping up to be a more destructive primary season for the GOP Establishment
than either 2010 or 2012. Making it even more brutal, the Chamber of Commerce
and large corporatist donors are teaming up to help the Establishment. With a
base already feeling ignored by the K Street/Wall Street alliance whispering in
the Establishment’s ear, the Chamber and large donor support of Establishment
candidates will just give the base and conservatives more fodder for attacks.

Ultimately
though, and this is the key everybody is missing, we have arrived at this point
because the leadership of the party has fundraised off its opposition to
Obamacare in two campaign cycles, but has never aggressively sought to oppose
it legislatively.